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Dec 7, 2012

Organic food never really caught my attention. Probably because there wasn't a need for it, and probably because I've always thought it was boring. Unfortunately, eyes are opened to these things when one gets some sort of allergy to regular foodstuff, or a need to avoid all the preservatives and chemicals that are in practically everything we buy off the shelves these days ... or unless one is a health nut ... or ok, just wanting to be healthy ... the right way. A while back, I was put into a situation where I had to guest post something healthy. And was I in a fix! I realized then how little I know about eating healthy besides the couple of vitamin pills that I pop every now and then .... whenever I remember. (I have absolutely no discipline when it comes to these things). So I made a quinoa something-or-other for the guest post, and got totally hooked to it ... hubby still says it's rabbit food and refuses to have anything to do with it. But whaddaya know? Healthy food can be tasty. I need to learn more about this organic culture. Just out of curiosity. I was fortunate to be invited (thanks to Veronica @ Quay Po Cooks) to spend half a day with some fellow bloggers and the local media to experience a very educational session about Ozganics, a homegrown, award winning Australian brand, founded by Anni Brownjohn. Such a bubbly lady ....She had 2 other chefs (Chef Ryan and Chef Loke) assisting her in a cooking demo ... great job, guys!

There's a wide range of products, these are just a few (the lemon chicken sauce was used in the cooking demo). You can find more at Jaya Grocer.

Chef Ryan whipped up the most delicious tasting Organic Sprouted Wheat Multigrain Bread ... I could eat the whole loaf. (Note to self: must make this soon!)

The bread went beautifully with my favorite dish of the day .... Moroccan Chicken with Lemon and Olives. And the sauce was right out of a bottle! Who needs to be a cook-from-scratch snob when this is so easy and so delicious! This dish was also very well paired with quinoa ... yes! quinoa! ... that healthy thingy that I'm so in love with! Will amazement never cease!

The other 2 dishes on the menu: Thai Pumpkin Soup and Watermelon and Feta Salad. The soup and salad also had sauces and dressings from a bottle ... Ozganics, of coz.We had a taste of 3 different kinds of dressing for the salad ... garlic, lemon myrtle and avocado. I honestly thought I'd prefer the avocado before I'd tasted it, but the feta overpowered the mildness of it as well as the lemon myrtle that in the end, the garlic dressing was a better compliment.

Waiting for those dishes to be ready was the most agonizing part ... thank goodness nobody heard the orchestra doing a crescendo in my tummy.

~ Feeding a hungry horde ~

And for the more inquiring minds ....Definition of Organic:(sourced from wiki)~ no human sewage sludge fertilizer used in cultivation of plants or feed of animals (organic meat). The livestock must be reared with regular access to pasture and without the routine use of antibiotics or growth hormones.~ avoidance of synthetic chemical inputs not on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances (e.g. fertilizer, pesticides, antibiotics, food additives, etc.), genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge.~ use of farmland that has been free from prohibited synthetic chemicals for a number of years (often, three or more).And having authentic Organic Certification means:~ keeping detailed written production and sales records (audit trail).~ maintaining strict physical separation of organic products from non-certified products.~ undergoing periodic on-site inspections.In some countries, certification is overseen by the government, and commercial use of the term organic is legally restricted. Certified organic producers are also subject to the same agricultural, food safety and other government regulations that apply to non-certified producers.So, even if you get a product that has a bunch of logos plastered on the label, that doesn't really mean it's certified organic. To be certified organic, products must be grown and manufactured in a manner that adheres to standards set by the country they are sold in. And in this case, Ozganics is certified by NASAA (The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia) and holds international recognition.

I came out of that session much smarter than I went in. There's still much to learn about organic foods. And I specifically am interested mainly in the dishes I can whip up with it. The only downside about organic products is that they're costly, and I don't mean a smidgen in difference, but quite a significant one. Hopefully that'll change sometime soon.Thanks again to the organizers, Anni Brownjohn, Chef Ryan, Chef Loke, Jaya Grocer @ Empire, Nourish!, QuayPo Cooks for the invite and fellow bloggers who contributed to an enjoyable afternoon. Nice meeting all of you!

25 comments:

Hopefully the price starts to drop as demand (and production) increases. In some countries organic stuff is priced similar to unorganic stuff, or perhaps even cheaper. The farmers cannot afford fertilisers, and they cannot afford a place in the market, so they sell just outside the market, on the pavement etc. Same with eggs, meats etc - free range stuff cheaper than factory stuff.BTW, when I saw the title, another thought came to mind...!

Very interesting! Of course the food sounds great, but for me the most important is to eat organic fresh produce and meat because they are most of what I eat. Maybe in Malaysia it's easy to buy natural, moderately sprayed food or free-range meat but in Europe organic shops become the only safe source (unless you know a farmer in person). Even farmers' markets are full of mass-produced food... I am not very strict about it (the taste and my cravings are more important), but I as much organic fresh produce as I can (or free-range in what concerns animals), but this is only because I shop in nearby France where prices are accessible, the choice is big and organic shops galore. It's not that easy in all the European countries.I am happy when I see that my carrots don't keep fresh for weeks and when the produce I buy has sometimes insects and is not flawless. The taste is also so different sometimes... not to mention the free-range meat (here I also am glad to know the animal was actually walking and moving).I am sure that the prices will slowly fall (like it was the case in France where several years ago prices were very high and even now they are lower every year).

It's not at all easy to get free range stuff in the big cities. Maybe you were thinking of the remote villages. The ones we get from the supermarkets are expensive. And I can't even be sure if they're really organic! Luckily I'm not too strict about it either.

Ping, lucky you! I have always been attracted to organic products, don't know why. Every time I see them at the supermarket, I'll stop by and do my little survey and of course I hesitate to buy because of the price. I mean, paying RM16.00 for a bottle of chilli sauce is kinda hard to swallow. Or RM5 for a small cabbage when you can get a huge cabbage at below RM2 from Tesco. But I am slowly embracing it bit by bit, hopefully in time to come the prices will be friendlier :)

Hi PH! Oh my! Really? That much difference in chilli sauces? Yeah, I did notice the huge difference in the veges. It's just crazy! I figured there's no point going organic unless I get into it 100%. What's the use of mixing organic and non-organic. It just defeats the purpose, right? So, while I'm still contemplating on the prices, I'll go normal and not waste my money on organic .... yet.

Ping, what a great post on your experience attending the cooking demo. I learn even more now about organic food from your post. Thanks for joining us and it was nice seeing you even though we did not have much time to yak. We have to meet again something where just you and me so that we can yak to the cow come home. hehehe.. Perhaps that will happen after Christmas since now lots of things to do to prepare for Christmas. Hugs.

Thanks for the invite, Veron! Actually, I was talking to some friends about my experience here and each of them had a different idea of what terms "organic". So you can say that all of us are still pretty confused and I'm sure each producer/manufacturer will have their own definition of the word "organic" to suit their products. And thus, confuse us all further :)

Ping, great article. I like yr title :) i would love to eat more organic food, price permitting. Remember the part where Anni mentioned that we actually eat less with organic food than with normal food? So if thats the case, then it works out in the end i suppose.

Thanks, Esther! Yeah, I guess so. Only problem is that I believe there needs to be a big percentage of organic food in our diet for it to have any benefit. It's hard to stick to that eating out at non-organic places and lack of organic food restaurants ... well, at least for now. Perhaps things might get a lot more popular in the future and it will be easier to stick to an organic diet.

What a great opportunity Ping - it sounds like it was a very informative session and fun too with fellow/fella ;0) bloggers. Smart that you took lots of clicks to share with us - yay! Love that sprouted bread.... what a delight.

Great post Ping...your day sounds very interesting. I have a home surrounded by an apple orchard of three hundred trees. We have chosen not to spray our trees at all. People think that if a product has been sprayed with an organic product to make it look pretty that it is healthy. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Organic just means that what has been put on the plant is not synthetic (man made). Many products used on organic produce contains items we really don't think of as being healthy. Tobacco and arsenic are considered organic but I don't think most people would like to know that they are used on organic products. I don't want to take away from you lovely day...just wanted to let you know there are other things to consider.

Thanks, Karen. Gosh, what a dream to live with an orchard of fruit trees. No worries abut your thoughts and opinion. This lady, Anni, had some very different ideas of the term "organic" from some other folks I've spoken with. I'm open to all opinions ... just pretty confused :)

Great post and definitely informative. Leading a healthy fruitful delicious life is definitely a priority, although I can't say that so much for myself. Hehehe.. well never, to take to kick start my engine. Have a great week! xoxo

hi ping, actually i like to 'browse' thru the organic food section in the supermarket..im not into it cos i think it's actually very costly to eat organic. But at times i do buy certain organic veggies that are more prone to pests like brinjals and kailan..with so much hawker food to enjoy in our country, it's quite impossible to go organic totally..organic nasi lemak? organic har mee? arhahaha! but i dont mind trying out some organic sauces like those you mentioned here:)